*deep breath*

Well, it’s happening. I’m doing WORKSHOPS.

It makes me laugh a bit, because the idea behind the content came to me in a dream. And when I say a dream, I literally mean that.

I’m an educator by trade, teaching about traumatic brain injuries to a wide-variety of people, from providers to patients and families. But since going back to our headquarters, I haven’t had the chance to do that much. The majority of my education is to our awesome staff of educators and I missed the patient and family interactions. I’m very passionate about brain injuries–I’ve had a couple of concussions myself. So, it’s always been something I’ve enjoyed learning about and sharing with others.

So in this dream I was doing just that: educating others about TBIs with a colleague of mine. In the midst of talking about levels of TBI severity and common symptoms I began talking about brush calligraphy: basic strokes, how to put it all together, etc. Again, I’ve laughed because the idea seems silly, but in reality I have learned that brush calligraphy has actually been a huge help for my anxiety.

This dream stuck around with me for a few days and after some conversations with others, I finally decided to go for it!

I’ve definitely had my moments of hesitancy, because, if you weren’t aware the brush calligraphy community on social media has skyrocketed over the past few years. Often, it feels supersaturated. I had a conversation about this with my therapist the other day who encouraged me to keep going and give it a shot because despite the many other brush calligraphers out there, my story is my own and what I bring to the table is unique to me no matter how alike I might be with another.

So here we are! Plans in motion. Workshops in the works!

If you’re in the DMV area and want to learn the basics of brush calligraphy and how it can help with anxiety or other mental health issues, fill out the interest form and check out the workshops page!

Thank you to Amanda Kammarada from http://amandakammarada.com/ who has been a complete doll and answered a few of my questions! She’s a great hand letterer who resides in Tampa, FL and offers workshops in her area as well!

Join me on Instagram to see other examples of my work! I’ve started tagging many of my posts with #calligraphyformentalhealth to support the notion that any type of art can be used as an outlet!

Till next time,

Heather